Menu

Gjelina in Venice, CA

May 31, 2015

Gjelina

I’ve had some good eats in LA for sure, but Gjelina set the bar on a whole different level.

Gjelina

It could be that we were famished and every single thing on the menu looked like a good idea (marinated roast beets with avocado, citrus, hazelnut and sherry whattt?). Could have been the outdoor patio dining area that let us soak in some of the beautiful Cali weather. OR it was likely even our waiter, Myan, who detailed each dish with so much gusto you felt like not ordering one of his recommendations might actually let him down (but he wouldn’t let you, of course, because he was so convinced we were going to love the food he put in the orders for us even as we were deliberating over them). But really, it always comes down to the meal which gave us so much to pore over (in taste and looks — every meal looked like it was fashioned for a gourmet mag), we left elated. Feast your eyes on it:

From just looking at the menu, I would have never thought to order the smoked trout salad — I’m not a huge fish eater, and the combo with grapefruit and avocado sounded too experimental for even me. But Myan insisted we had to try it. The salad is so fresh and the citrus isn’t overpowering at all — I would even ended up liking it more than the kale salad.

Just when we though we couldn’t eat more, Myan convinced us that we haven’t lived until we tried their butterscotch pot de creme with salted caramel and creme fraiche.

Butterscotch pot de creme

And that’s how lunch is done. Can’t wait to go back to check out their bakery counterpart, Gjusta. And since you’re on Abbot Kinney anyway, make sure you stop by the cute shops on the street like Burra, and Tom’s coffee shop/shoe store.